Page 47 of Gideon

“How is she?” I asked Raven.

He shook his head, his face grim. Haley climbed onto my lap, tears streaming down her face. I wrapped my arms around her tightly.

“Is Mommy dead?”

“Shh, no, sweetheart. The doctor is fixing her. I want you to go home with Gage. He’ll take care of you until Mommy is out of the hospital. What did the doctor say?”

“He said I can have popsicles and soup and that I’ll be okay to start school next week.”

“That’s right. You’re starting school soon. Go with Gage, and he’ll take care of you.”

“Mommy said she’s taking me shopping this weekend for boots like Ellie’s. Will you bring Mommy home?”

“Yes, sweetheart. I’ll bring her home as soon as she’s ready to leave the hospital. Now hug me goodbye.”

Once they left, I turned to Raven. “How is she?”

“Not good,” he said. “She was bleeding out. I tried to stop it, but the knife hit something vital. She lost a lot of blood. I managed to slow it down but couldn’t stop it completely.”

“Damn it,” I muttered, frustration boiling over. “I hate that I can’t walk. What did you find out about the guy?”

“Sean’s running his information now. Do you think he’s connected to the Chicago mob?”

“Who else could it be? Let’s go inside. Have you talked to the police?”

“Yeah. They know I had no choice but to kill him, or Laney would’ve been dead,” Raven said.

We were in the waiting room when the doctor walked in. “We got the bleeding under control,” he said, looking at Raven. “Did you say you’re her brother?”

“Yes,” Raven confirmed.

“We’ll check if your blood type matches hers. We may need it. She’s stable for now, but she has three stab wounds. He must have Stuck the knife in and out quickly. Whoever did this wanted her dead.”

“Can I see her?” I asked.

The doctor eyed me. “Who are you?”

“I’m her fiancé,” I lied.

“You both can see her for a short while. She needs rest to heal. Let’s hope the knife was clean.”

I satby Laney’s bedside, her hand in mine. When her eyes fluttered open, I smiled and kissed her fingers.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

“Hey. Where’s Haley?”

“She’s with River and Kat today. They let her hold the babies. Now she’s decided she wants one for Christmas.”

Laney chuckled softly, but her eyes clouded over. “I knew I was being followed in that store. I turned just in time to see his face. He worked for Jonah. He’s still after me—even from the grave. I don’t know where to go. I don’t know what to do. Will it ever stop?”

“Yes, it’s going to stop right now. Raven, Gage, Faron, Tag, and Oliver went to confront whoever is in charge. The FBI is going with them. This James guy doesn’t stand a chance. If he says no, Raven will take care of him on the spot.”

“I don’t want Raven going to prison because of me. What if they get hurt or killed? I don’t want to be the reason any of them suffer.”

“Don’t worry about them. All we care about is keeping you safe. Haley starts school in three days, and we need to resolve this before then. She deserves a normal life, like any other kid.”

“That’s why I love you. You’re always there for us.”

---